Dear Readers of The Montreal Buzz,

I don’t want to alarm you, but a visit to Montreal could be life changing.

In the summer of 2002, I flew from western Canada to spend a week in the dynamic French Canadian city. I walked through Old Montreal. I shopped on the Plateau. I climbed Mount Royal. I danced in the Village.

I fell in love with Montreal.

It was a persistent love that would, in turn, deeply affect almost a decade of my life. And when it was time to start a new chapter in my life, the glow of Montreal enticed me to move 4300 kilometers from my hometown in British Columbia, to explore an urban wonderland of unknown possibilities.

By happenstance, I found an adorable apartment in the artsy Plateau neighborhood, and spent the next seven years engaged in various activities: working at cafes, finishing my undergraduate degree, volunteering with a community organization, playing volleyball and getting drag queen makeovers.

But of all my Montreal experiences, my time with Tourisme Montreal has continued to resonate deeply: socially and professionally.

The past two years blogging for The Montreal Buzz have been revolutionary for me. I’ve had the honor and privilege of being on the front lines of a social media strategy that has pushed limits, maintained an authentic tone, encouraged creativity, won awards and subtly/intentionally infiltrated the online lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the world. I’ve been part of the cheerleading squad for Montreal travel.

I express my deepest gratitude to Tourisme Montreal for trusting and honoring me with this role.

Now, in 2011, my love for Montreal has not diminished. But, like any type of relationship, sometimes a pause can be helpful in reconfiguring, refreshing and reigniting the flame. So I have opted to let other eager Montrealers share their perspectives on the city where they live and love. Stay tuned. I am excited to see what they share on this blog.

For me, new adventures await.

As I once turned to Montreal to satiate my desire for culture, diversity and delicious dining, I now look to the world to quench my new cravings: adventure, skill-development and international perspective. I have elected to spend 2011 on the road – I’ll be spending twelve months in twelve different countries across six continents, exchanging work for food and accommodation. The goal is to share the tales of my travels on my own personal blog (The Conversationalist), as well as to gain a deeper understanding of global realities.

My travels are an ambitious undertaking that both compel me forward and leave me shaking in my boots. It has been a decision that, once again, will alter the direction of my professional life, my relationships and my personal paradigms. But I feel ready. I suppose you could say I’m the type of guy who thrives on change and adventure. I enjoy the epic-ness of it all.

But one doesn’t have to take such drastic measures for a life changing or meaningful experience. It could be much more simple. You could just come to Montreal.

Heck, it worked for me.

xoxo

Daniel Baylis

PS: I would love to have you join my adventure! Check out my blog about international travel, or add me on Facebook or Twitter!

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LINER NOTES

Tourisme Montreal Team:

@EmmanuelleMTL – In 50 years, when I look back at the people who opened doors for me, you will be one of the key figures. Thank you for building me a stage. My life is now changed. #mixeddrinks2012

@Louise – It has been an absolute pleasure. Thanks for doing my make-up for the QOTY shoot! #TWIM?

@Lynn_H – You are the perfect combination of professionalism and humanism. Wishing you insight and inspiration. #teamhabelcheerleader

@Charles Lapointe – You are an amazing man. I hope to maintain my spirit, as you have maintained yours. You are a firecracker and a role model. #muchrespect.

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Sid Lee Team:

@Samuel_Sauvageau – I could go on about how wise beyond your years you are or how one day you will be running the world, but you already know all this. Instead, I spoke with God, and she’s assured me that someone beautiful is waiting for you. #lovecomestothosewhobelieveitandthatsthewayitis

@AnikD – You are hipness personified. #futurecollaborations?

@Nat – Thanks for the fuel, for challenging me. #stealingyourmotorbike

@Monique – To the bestest editor in the hole world! Sea? I’m lost without ewe. Thanks for being a mother, but more importantly, a friend. #wannaedittheconversationalist?

@Christophe – Well, we certainly worked together. I admire your shoes, but more importantly the courage it takes to rock them. #neverchange

@Regine, @Rosalie & @MarieKim – The most fabulouso admin folks ever! You make “taking care of business” sexy. Keep up the great work. #heroes

@Jack_Latulippe & @Alain – Thanks for keeping it fun, boys! #bestpeanutgalleryever

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Bloggy Collaborators:

@TamyEmmaPepin – If anyone can understand the arc of this journey, it’s you: my colleague, my cyber sister and my friend. Keep training your lungs for big runs, and also your heart for big adventures. #keepthescarf

@FreeMurphy – Thanks for providing the humor.  You’ve got big adventures ahead of you, and I wish you strength and patience and grace. Thanks for the mix tape. It’s already become my soundtrack. #cobblestonestreets

@KaterineRollet – You are one of the most delicious people I know! I’m so appreciative for our chats. You have expanded my palette and filled my heart. #coted’or

@Alexandre_de_B – Thanks for making me look good! #seeyouinparis

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The post A GOODBYE LETTER FROM DANIEL BAYLIS appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Montrealers love autumn. As the days get a bit shorter and the air becomes crisp, there is a certain romanticism that infiltrates the city. Folks bring out their beautiful fall fashion items, the leaves provide a pleasant palette to the eyes and the markets burst with the harvest. It is rather delightful.

We encourage you to capture the spirit of the fall season. Here are 5 walks to get you outside to witness the beauty of autumn in Montreal.

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Skyscrapers to Scenic Vistas
Downtown to Parc du Mont Royal

Start your adventure downtown, anywhere along Saint Catherine Street West, and escape the hustle n’ bustle by meandering north towards the mountain. A great option is to walk through the grounds of McGill, one of the world’s top Universities. Whatever route you decide to take, eventually you’ll want to wander to the intersection of des Pins and rue Peel. Here Parc Mont-Royal, Montreal’s largest green space, official begins. Walk directly up the path, or follow the meandering wide trail (also good for cycling). For a direct route to the Kondiaronk Belvedere, and the best views of downtown, take the stairs direct to the top! You’re going to have a delightful glow on your face from all the exercise, so capture your purdy face with the city skyline in the background. You’ve conquered the mountain!

An excellent interactive map of Mont Royal can be found with Les Amis de la Montagne.

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Following the Flow
Atwater Market/Lachine Canal to Old Montreal

There is something splendid about a Montreal market in the autumn. Bursting with local specialties, such as apples, tartelettes and fine cheeses, your challenge at the Atwater Market will be prioritizing what you can carry with you! Fill your backpack with treats and head east along the Lachine Canal, towards the downtown core. It’s a leisurely 5 km walk, so give yourself a couple of hours. Stick with the canal, and you won’t get lost. Stop and dine on your epicurean delights from the market under one of the many maple trees or on a picnic table. Once you’ve reached Old Montreal, take a left on Rue Saint Sulpice and reward yourself with a cupcake from Les Glaceurs. If you get out of control in the cupcake boutique, you can cross the street and confess your sins at Montreal’s stunning Notre-Dame Basilica.

Atwater Market (138 Atwater Ave) is accessible via Lionel-Groulx Metro.

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For the Epicurean Photographer
From Botanical Gardens to Foodie Adventures

The Botanical Gardens provide some of the most serene and scenic settings in all of Montreal. The autumnal colors will be a smorgasbord of visual fodder for the photographer, and the natural fragrances are equivalent to 4 hours at the spa. Make sure to see the First Nations Garden, as well as the exquisite bonsai in the Japanese Pavilion. Once your finished in the gardens, walk south along Pie-IX (pronounced pee-noof), to Marché Maisonneuve (4445 Ontario Street East). Grab a treat, such as Quebec honey, for the folks back home. If you’re a true foodie, with a flair for adventure, wander a block south to Restaurant Cabotins (4821 Rue Sainte Catherine East) – it’s a little slice of bohemia, but with a Quebecois twist! And you’ll get to practice your French!

The Montreal Botanical Gardens are accessible via Pie-IX Metro.

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The Perfect Plateau Promenade
Parc Lafontaine along Duluth Ave to Parc Jeanne-Mance

Grab some sandwiches from a bakery or épicerie fine, and have a leisurely picnic beside the fountain in Parc Lafontaine. When you’re ready to wander, head west along the cobblestones of Duluth Avenue.  Sneak into Les Chocolats de Chloé (546 Duluth East) for a chocolat chaud or a couple of handmade ganaches, such as cardamom, pistachio or passion fruit. Continue your stroll, with your compass pointing towards Mont Royal. Pop your head into the used record boutiques or quaint bookstores.  Once at Parc Jeanne-Mance, wander towards the angel statue at the base of the mountain. Snap the inaugural angel/cross on mountain photo. Consider your Plateau Mont-Royal cherry officially popped.

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Island Hopping
Old Montreal to Ile Saint Hélène

Catch the river shuttle at the Jacques-Cartier Pier in Old Montreal. Debark and head north along Ave Einstein. As you stroll, you’ll have the perfect vantage point for some Montreal skyline photos, as well as the Montreal Olympic Stadium. Use the Biosphere as your pivot point, walking across the island keeping it always on your right. Cross over to Ile Notre-Dame at the bridge “Pass du Cosmos.” If you’re feeling sporty, do a lap around the Gille Villeneuve Circuit, home of the Montreal Grand Prix. Or just stick near the water, and cross back over to Ile Saint Hélène on Avenue Pierre Dupuy. Stay along the parameter of the island, eventually you’ll come across the stoic ‘Man’ sculpture, which is home to the weekly dance party, Piknic Électronik.  Keep sauntering, and you’ll find yourself back to the shuttle station.

River Shuttle runs until October 11. After this date, take the Metro on the yellow line to Jean-Drapeau Station.

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The post 5 BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN WALKS IN MONTREAL appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Our Montreal Street Profile series has already hit Bleury, Parc and, most recently, Maisonneuve. Which is convenient, because even though we’re now heading down to Old Montreal to check out Rue Saint-Paul, these two streets share something in common…

Rue Saint-Paul is Montreal’s oldest street and was named after Montreal’s first governor, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve…and the love doesn’t stop there- Chomedey is also both a street and neighbourhood in Laval. And I can’t even get an alley named after me.

Rue Saint-Paul is a perfect example of what makes Old Montreal so special. Still paved with cobblestones in many parts and stacked with buildings whose exteriors have been around for hundreds of years, it does feel like you’ve taken a step back in time. But what I really enjoy is finding a modern establishment nestled into all that history. Juxtaposition, people snootier than me might call it. As far as I’m concerned there are 3 things that Rue Saint-Paul does as well as any other street in the city…

Hotels: Hotel Nelligan is, by far, my favorite hotel in the city. Small, sophisticated and containing tons of personality (or just “classily expensive” as a friend described one of their suites), Nelligan also has some draws for non-hotel guests: its restaurant, Verses, and rooftop terrasse bar, Verses Sky, whose view of the St-Lawrence River and the Notre-Dame Basilica makes it easily one of the city’s best patios. Though it is technically located on McGill, Hotel St-Paul is one of Old Montreal’s hipper hotels, so we’ll give it a pass. Like Nelligan, its restaurant, Vauvres, is enough of a draw that actual Montrealers visit it for drinks and/or food. A little more low-key but entirely charming is Les Passants du Sans Soucy , a (very popular) 9-room B’n’B which has an entirely modern interior for a building that was built in 1723.

Restos: Restaurants are where Saint-Paul truly shines. Les Pyrénées focuses on food from the Basque region- think paella and delicious seafood, while Barroco does some of the same but its real draw is the short ribs, which at least 1/3 of the restaurant will be eating anytime you visit, guaranteed. Restaurant Ghandi may not be the city’s best Indian restaurant, but it’s entirely decent and it’s the only one on Saint-Paul. Modavie is a wine bar and restaurant but, honestly, most people go for the live jazz. Stash Café is also popular for its live music, but absolutely check it out for some of the best Polish food in the city. Ibiscus is a place I’d put in the must-try category- high end Haitian food in a beautiful setting.

One of the resto stars of Saint-Paul is the Nelligan-associated Méchant Boeuf, a hip Gastro-pub with some French flair thrown on top. The star of the show is their burger, which deserves its status as one of the city’s best, but adventurous stomachs should investigate further: their late night menu features a $22 poutine with braised pork (“late night” being the only time you’d justify such an expensive poutine) and their raw bar menu features some truly gargantuan seafood platters. But look, if you just want a steak, straight up, Steak Frites’ St-Paul location is a restaurant that focuses on and excels at…well, it’s right there in the name. Finally,  La Sauvagine is a French restaurant that specializes in wild game (deer, elk, boar and more), while their other resto on Saint-Paul, Solmar, focuses on Portuguese food.

Galleries: If you’ve spent any time in Old Montreal you’ve noticed that there are a lot of stores that cater to tourists. Let’s be frank- that stuff, like it is in tourist-traps all over the world, is mostly garbage. For my money (well, technically, it will be your money), if you want to drop some coin, go to an art gallery, something that Rue Saint-Paul does quite well. Elca London has been in operation since 1960 and is devoted to the art of Canada’s Inuit people and always has a couple truly jaw-dropping pieces. Galerie Blanche focuses on contemporary Canadian painters, as does the beautiful Galerie Saint-Dizier. Last but certainly not least, the Galerie Pangee has a fairly wide-open mandate, focusing on Quebecois, Canadian and International artists and often hosts interesting events.

The post STREET PROFILE: SAINT-PAUL appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of guiding New York blogger Joe.My.God. around Montreal. We ate at fancy restaurants, wandered through farmer’s markets  and leisurely rolled along on Bixis. It was all lovely, but I wanted to make sure we upped the ‘adventure’ factor before he went home.

So we went jet boating.

When people think Montreal, they think a couple things: Poutine, Cirque du Soleil, Arcade Fire, charming European architecture. It may come as a surprise, but did you know that we have some of the craziest rapids in all of North America?

In fact Montreal, as a contemporary urban center, exists where it is today because early explorers simply could not make it past the Lachine Rapids. The standing waves and deadly currents represented a considerable barrier to maritime traffic, limiting the navigation of the St. Lawrence River and forcing European traders to set up shop in Old Montreal.

The jet boat adventure is fast paced hour of adrelaline-pumping, water-soaking, oh-my-god-I’m-about-to-be-hit-by-a-wall-of-water good times. And after having paddled rapids in British Columbia and Alaska, I was thoroughly impressed that quality rapids exist in my own backyard.

Here’s a little video clip that sums it up nicely!

(Oh, and if you want a fun little game, try and spot me in the above photo!)

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THE DETAILS

Jet Boating Montreal
47 de la Commune West
(514) 284-9607
www.jetboatingmontreal.com

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This is Joe and me shortly after we sat down in the boat. They put us in the “wild” boat. We are feigning bravery, when in actuality I had already soiled my pants.

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The post MONTREAL ATTRACTIONS: JET BOATING appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.